c/chimney-sweeps

I just logged my 100th creosote removal this season

I keep a simple tally in my work log, and hitting that number yesterday really made me pause. It means I've pulled over 400 pounds of that nasty stuff out of chimneys in the last six months. The last one was a bad level three buildup in a 1970s ranch house, about 40 pounds alone. That volume of work shows how many folks are burning wood without proper maintenance. Has anyone else seen a jump in these heavy cleanouts compared to last year?

Just read that a single chimney fire can reach 2000 degrees Fahrenheit

I was looking at an old safety guide from the Chimney Safety Institute of America and that number really hit me. It explains why we see so much damage to flue tiles even from small, quick fires. Has anyone else come across stats that made you change how you talk to homeowners about cleaning?

A customer in Tacoma told me my inspection camera work was too fast to be thorough, so I now add a mandatory 5-minute review pause before giving the all-clear.

What's a piece of tough feedback that actually improved your routine?

Switched from a standard brush to a poly brush for a 12x12 flue last month and the difference was insane

Shoutout to my old boss for the worst advice ever

My first boss, Jerry, told me to always use a 6-inch brush on any flue liner, no matter what. Tried it on a 7-inch clay tile in a 1920s house in Pasadena last week and just pushed all the soot around. Had to go back with the right size and do the whole job over. Anyone else have a 'Jerry' story from when they were starting out?

Had to choose between a standard brush and a poly brush for a tight flue in an old Annapolis row house.

The flue was only 8x8 inches, and my boss said to just force the standard one. I went with the poly brush anyway, and it flexed perfectly without scratching the historic liner. What would you have picked for a tight, old masonry flue?

Appreciation post: my $200 inspection camera saved a job from turning into a mess

I was on a call last Tuesday for a standard cleaning on a big old house in the historic district. The homeowner said they had a bird smell for a few weeks. After I swept it, I still felt like something was off, but I couldn't see anything with my light. I almost packed up, but I decided to run my new inspection camera up there (the one with the 10 foot cable). Sure enough, about eight feet up the flue, wedged in a corner of the smoke shelf, was a huge raccoon nest, totally blocking one side. Without that camera, I would have missed it, the smell would have stayed, and I'd have had a very angry call back. The camera paid for itself right there. Has anyone else found a hidden problem like that with a camera when a normal look-see seemed fine?

That job in the old theater on Elm Street taught me to always check the flue liner first

I was cleaning the chimney for a 1920s theater they were fixing up, and the owner said it hadn't been used in maybe 40 years. I sent my camera up and saw what looked like a big, round nest. Turns out a family of raccoons had stored a whole bunch of those little plastic prize eggs from a gumball machine up there. Must have been a hundred of them. Now I poke around with the pole before I send the brush up, just in case. Anyone else find something really weird blocking a flue?

Appreciation post: My old shop vac finally died mid-job in Boise

I had to choose between rushing to the hardware store for a new one or trying to finish the sweep with just brushes and rods. I went with the brushes and it added like 90 minutes to the cleanout. Anyone have a go-to shop vac model under $200 that can handle a ton of soot?

A job in an old Charleston house taught me to check for hidden flues behind the plaster.

Found a whole second fireplace they didn't know about after my camera probe hit brick, so now I always scan the whole wall with a stud finder first, anyone else run into these surprise doubles?

Shoutout to the firefighter who showed me my inspection mirror trick was backwards

He pointed out that holding the mirror at a 45-degree angle, not flat, gives a much clearer view of the flue liner. Has anyone else had a simple tool tip change their whole routine?

My old boss in Milwaukee always said to use a mirror on a pole for every inspection, no matter what.

I thought it was overkill for a simple cleanout, but last week I skipped it on a job in Oak Park. Found out later the homeowner had a hidden flue liner crack about two feet up that I missed. Has anyone else had a simple piece of advice save them from a big mistake?

I thought those new flexible chimney camera kits were just a gimmick, but one just saved me from a huge repair bill in a 1920s house in St. Louis.

Update: Found a huge raccoon nest in a chimney in Asheville last month

I was on a standard cleaning job in an older house near downtown Asheville. When I dropped my camera down the flue, I saw a solid mass of sticks and leaves about four feet down. The homeowner said they hadn't used the fireplace in over two years. It took me and my partner almost three hours to safely clear it all out, and we found baby raccoon bones in the mix. The damper was completely rusted shut from all the moisture. We had to use a lot of enzyme cleaner to get the smell out. Has anyone else dealt with a nest this big, and what's your go-to method for the cleanup after? I'm worried about parasites.

Just got back from a job at the old brickworks on Elm Street

I was cleaning the flue for one of the old kiln chimneys there. The mortar in the crown was totally gone, just a fine powder. I could see daylight through the joints from the inside. The owner said it was fine last winter, but that thing is one good storm from letting water pour straight down the brickwork. Has anyone else run into a crown failing that fast? What did you use to fix it?

Bought a cheap flexible liner brush and it snapped on the first job

Just had to eat the cost of a full chimney cleaning last week. A customer in Gresham called about a blocked flue, simple job. I grabbed a new flexible liner brush I got online for $40, seemed like a good deal. Third pass up the clay tile, the cable just gave way. Brush head is stuck about 15 feet up. Had to tell the homeowner the bad news, refund the whole $250 fee. Wasted half a day trying to fish it out with no luck. Now I need to call in a specialist with a camera rig, which will cost me. Anyone have a go-to brand for these that won't fail on you?

PSA: I switched from a standard brush to a rotary whip system for a 40-foot flue in an old farmhouse.

The old owner swore by his hand brush, but after three hours of fighting soot pockets, I brought in my SootMaster 2000 and cleared the whole thing in 45 minutes. Honestly, if you're still doing tall, neglected chimneys by hand, you're just making the job harder for yourself. What's your go-to method for a flue that hasn't been touched in a decade?

Got a call for a blocked flue in an old farmhouse near Augusta, the brush got stuck halfway down.

I was working on a 1920s brick chimney with a really narrow flue, maybe 8 by 8 inches. My 10-inch poly brush got wedged on a big mortar bulge about 15 feet down. I mean, I had to rig up a pulley system with some extra rope from the truck to pull it back out without damaging the liner. Has anyone else dealt with a tight spot like that and found a better brush type?

Shoutout to the Milwaukee M12 inspection camera for saving my hide in a tight spot last month

I was inspecting a flue in an old brick house in Savannah and the camera head got completely stuck on a broken tile liner about 15 feet up. I had to carefully feed more cable down to loop it and pull it free, which took almost an hour. Anyone have a better method for retrieving a snagged camera without risking a full dislodge?

Heard a kid call our gear 'steampunk' and it got me thinking

I was packing up after a job in the old part of Lancaster and this boy, maybe ten, pointed at my rods and brushes and said they looked like something from a 'steampunk movie'. It made me realize how much the tools have changed since I started in '98, but the basic job hasn't. We used to use way more horsehair brushes and heavier rods, now it's all carbon fiber and poly brushes. Anyone else miss the feel of the old gear sometimes, or is it just me being sentimental?

Rant: My Tuesday turned into a 12 hour creosote nightmare

I had a standard cleaning job in a 70 year old house, but the flue was packed with over 3 inches of rock-hard, glazed creosote. My standard rods and brushes just skated over it. I had to switch to my heavy duty chain flail, which took forever and made a huge mess. The homeowner was nice about it, but I was there from 8 AM until after 8 PM. What's your go-to method for tackling that really bad, glazed stuff? Do you have a special tool or chemical treatment you trust for jobs like that?

Rant: That 'quick dry' creosote remover spray cost me $80 and a whole afternoon

Bought a gallon of 'SootAway Pro' spray from a supply house in Akron, thinking it would cut my cleaning time in half. It just made a sticky, smelly mess that took me three extra hours to scrub out with a wire brush. Has anyone else tried a chemical cleaner that totally backfired on a brick flue?

I used a standard brush on a 40-foot flue in an old brick house versus a new poly brush and the difference in creosote removal was night and day.

The poly brush, which I got after a recommendation at the state convention, flexed around the mortar joints and got into every nook, leaving the flue spotless in half the time, so what's your go-to brush for tricky, uneven masonry?

A client in Boise had me try a new creosote remover spray against my usual powder

I used the 'ChimneySweep Pro' spray on one half of a really bad flue and my normal powder on the other. The spray cut my scrub time down by about 15 minutes because it stuck to the vertical surfaces so much better and started working right away. Has anyone else found a spray product that actually works as well as they say?

I finally broke down and bought a $900 rotary cleaning system

It was a SootMaster 2000, and I fought it for years thinking my rods and brushes were fine. After a nasty creosote clog in a brick flue in Burlington took me three hours by hand, I gave in. The rotary head cleared the same job in under 40 minutes. Anyone else make the switch and find it pays for itself faster than they thought?